Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1887-08-31

John SvvtntOn Presents q Careful Sur.
vey Of the Situation.

1O0n SvVhutOu k'fCSS0tD - Coxetul sur
vey OF the Situation
RECENT SIGNIFICANT STRIKE FATLrREs-NR- row.
pEKLys INFLUENCE AND kTryTvpE-rW LABOR
PARTY IN foLIrIA
Correspondence Of TIE Eyrxrxa sr.n
New YORK. August 30
The portentous changes which have been going
on In the ''labor movement" are not yet at an end
as we see from recent events They bear upon II
as an Organized body, As political agency and as
regulator OF wages and conditions OF labor. In
all these respectsit has become evident that some
deep and widespread influences are at work.
The number OF strikes that have collapsed since
the beginning OF this year Is Tar greater than that
OF any other recent year. The labor commissioner
for New York in his last oficial report shows that
In this state were successful but II Is a fact that
the statistics gathered BY Bradstreet from Janu-
airy last TO the present time show that over three
1ourtnS od al the strikes OF the present year have
come to gnef. In fact out OF three hundred thous-
ana strikers so far this year. not more than rIly
thousand have gained any such advantage as 70
be deserving or the name OF success We nave 10
go back many years 70 ind anything that looks
like precedent to this dismal state OF things
OF THIS Wear IL is SarG n iafg nso s'i anS
genuine success other than the strike OF
the bricklayers OF Chicago. who not only secured
the eighthour rule for their trade but est bushed
method Of settling future disputes with their
employers. And the bad luck continues up to this
day. The great strike In the cotton mills AT
Cohoes has just broken down simultaneously
with the strike OF the leather workers at Newark
II has In short, been among the unluckiest OF
years for strikers, whether they We're coke
makers and miners In Pennsylvania, shoemakcrs
In Massachusetts,. or coal and freight handlers In
New Jersey and New York. IL is a common no
tlon, which Is probably correct that this bad luck
Is largely attributable 70 the practice or COM
btnation for resistance by employers. The shoe
manufacturers or Massachusetts combine a. ainst
their wage.workeIs; the COKE and coal corI,or,l-
PpnnSyiyania al
the leather manufacturers OK Newark, And a SINH
lar practice has been adopted In scores OF other
cases. as every reader or the newspapers Is aware.
Inc combination OF the Chicago Master builders
tailed In the stand they took and the coinpiat.on
OF the stove manufacturers cannot boast OF nav
Ing scored victory; but these are merely exccp-
uOnal to the rule. The weight OF the c0l.ti.cd
capital In any given Industry has almost always
proved too heavy for the labor and its service.
LABoRs LOSSES DURING THE YEAR.
The influence OF these facts upon labor organ
izations during the present year have been calala-
itous. The largest OF all great organizations-the
knights OF Lapor-have, within q year, lost mucn
more than ha.f Its Membership. In New YORK,
New Jersey, Pennsylvania, MASSACHUSETTS, ana
Connecticut the falling oil has reached very nearly
two-tniids and In some OF the western states the
ratio Is 1ully high. These statements are based
either upon ON lh figures published by district
assemblies or upon the votes cast at tue rece NJ
elections for delegates 20 the general as,
sembiy. The total membership That Will
be there Represented is likely 10 g.!
proof that the Knights are yet large body, IL Is
anything but u fululiment OF the promises uI last
year, wnen MI. Powderly boastel VI twice tho
stTenSth n, and when the aooI-Jide mad 70 pe
checked 0y the talIloua "aait." But far more Sc
riouS than this alarming decline are the ticker.
inss by which The Organization mas been dcaiural.
ICED III many quarters, uUt oniy IL sucu al = 4,
ChtcaSn, Fnh.teipnia, Boston, anu Nes YORK, but
IN Lesser .laces llhe Hartford, Newark, DeuUii,
biocktol, Denver, &c., as Wei IS out.y Ing locals
here ana there.
The rank, are being weakened and undermined
by lnternei dissenson upon matters oi pU,icg,
Upon the Dew CONSTITUTION, upon lie trades
Uiy question, upon tue ac.lOn ol tie executive
board, wGich Il but Ieeb.c, dlcIatorial, upon tle
pay va oilc!als, upon the seiuent NJ sltiAeN
ION the heavy taAeS at ai times, aid the s..s At
disbursements Ia special caSc,, upon Tie nalJ
o. Tao funds, upon Tue numerous Adj ur.s ~ ssti
the uretnten Ia liIeir battles upon the LnacHin A.
tons OF the "honie Cub. aud VI 0a sundry peou.
iar notions often obtrudcd Uy liE. FUw1crly. lB,I
Tue Organization Is furIaer weakened just no" By
the hostile altitude toward the most powerful
trade UNIONS including The BrolnerRoel Of Car
ltenteVs, lie CiSarmdAer> InternatiUnaI GaiJn
Aindig aInateJ Association OF Sl,el anu Iron
orAcrA and the bo1ics la the riyal federation vi
LABOR. he recent e.ection Of natiouai dee. Dies
la haI dozen Oh The cRieI cities OF Inc county
nave SHOWN the efIecto VI these dtsSeastJHs nl
UicMerinSs, 50 mucn so that there is prospect oi
tae ovcr>arow Oh tue general uoard, t..e new con.
atllutloD, and the lee lsid,ion OF last year at he
convention W hich VIII D. neiI a few weeks heLce.
THE MOST ASTOUNDING sign
OF the changes Ia progress, ni5 list been given by
the detection or the notorious District Assembly
No. A. or New York. from It's ale glance 10 tie
POSderiy administration. This district, tne
.ne.uueToaip or whIcI has fallen OF oae-h.
alDce tAe iaS. convention, and which has for years
UJen Mr.. fowGeriy's nlAin sup, Ott, las e.ectej
Opposition delegates, dctAfoned tae Home iuD,
amd airdck for Changes That Imply reversal Of
t.ie policy now pieIU.ninant Al headquarters. Ii
Is not easy Tor those VINO are outside VI the IAN.
HatiOn 10 comprehend the Iull meaalnS oi the
revolt Thu, caiIiel in Tie On ,lrict re-
a. AT an ,',al m
uery may be able to mold on yet
a..ary ten times greater than is received 10y a
majority OF Tue members OF the kui9 hto LABOR
tuL even thls mas Lately become doubtful his re l.
10 TACT, th al there Is no OF her rea "
POPULAR canuiuate IN the held II Is Yet Ia Ia,
power OF this remarkable organization Of lAt
knignts OF Labor u recover the strength whica II
.o,t, and 10 put stop to the chickering's and dis
Sessions by watch 1t has lately be- u distract "a
UuL tncse enuS can be gained only 10y a larger
craftsmanship than Is now displayed by It's uiail.
ayers.
Inc "inbor organs" OF the country have been
among the sufferers by the changes In the Labor
field Al Tue uegin-iing OF last year there were
prtsent time their number is less Than hundred,
and at least one-haI Oh THESE arr on the verge y.
extinction.
LABOR PoLIrIcs
BY far the most st!ihins 81 q OF the changes OF
the times In the labor He'd Is OF the political cast
In labor politics, all is now confusion at least In
this State OF New York. At this time a year ago.
the "torceS" OF labor were raiy ing for pulilital
action on their own account as taey never rallied
before, and the result ia New York, Chicago. Nil
waukee, and other places surpr sed The country al
the November elections kaIsAls or Labor Green
hackers, Trade UniOBists AniI-Monopoli,tl, Gran.
gers LAud Re,oriners, Socialists and what-not,
Joined hands until, IL We add the voters OF last
spring to those Uf last November, a couple OF hun.
dred thousand OF them reached the ballot Dox.
The prepLratiO - for this unprecedented display
OF cohesion had been going on for several years,
and mad received powerful influence from the
1856. The EMULATION OF The new party over the
large vote that 1t polled was uRbJundtd, and the
preIlc OF the enthusiasts tor Tue elections OF
Lnls fall, snd for the national campaign OF next
year, were also unbounded. The politicians OF the
old parties were alarmed, the trinmers began
10 cast their eyes toward the "anxiuus
year, the cnanyes an labor lo,iIics specially IN
the STATE OF New York, have beea pii I'll act
ing, and oninouS. There is war ia the camp, a
war OF factions as bitter as ever WAS waged- We
two sets OF candidates. with other sets yet to be
heard from. The union labor party. the George
land party and the socialist party are now at
each others throatS The enraged belligerents ara
that goes as far as ''pirstes," 'cranks," "boo-
dlers," and SO on. The george party al its SYRIA
cuse convention, shut its doors against the union
laborers cast out the socialist laborers and toll
Grated only such united laborers as swore BY the
theory Of land taxation All these three parties
which had but lately marched In one procession
along with many other elements are In hostile
array, as though they had never ''drunk out OF
the same canteen." And 80 the whole situa-
ton, as regards labor politics. has changed
from what It was last fall The wrang-
ling has extended from district to district
in the city; It has broken out In the labor organ
izatiOns; IT has extended to the Central Labor
Union in which the new party had its birth a
short year ago; 1t has PLAYED havoc with the